Every so often, a track arrives that doesn’t just demand your attention, but gently asks for your hand. Enter giddy, the Sydney-based poet-turned-songwriter whose debut single, ‘kintsugi’, feels less like a traditional release and more like a shared secret.
Drawing its title from the traditional Japanese craft of repairing fractured ceramics with gold, the song serves as a sonic metaphor for human resilience. As giddy aptly puts it, “we people break too, but with a little love on our worst days, we can come out strong – and often we’re especially luminous along our fault lines.” It is a sentiment that resonates deeply in our often-fragmented world, offered up by an artist who transitioned from the high-pressure life of a refugee lawyer to the vulnerable honesty of the stage.
The track is an exquisite masterclass in understated beauty. Recorded at Church Street Studios with the seasoned guidance of producer Sean Carey, ‘kintsugi’ avoids over-polished artifice in favour of organic warmth. The arrangement is delicately anchored by giddy’s evocative ukulele, an instrument she affectionately named Lorien, and layered with the soulful, grounding depth of Sophia Clark’s cello. There is a palpable sense of space here; it doesn’t rush to fill the silence but rather sits comfortably within it.
Lyrically, the song is “a love letter to the ones who show up with a candle in dark times – and a promise to hold the candle for those who need it.” It’s a reciprocal vow of protection, delivered with a vocal clarity that feels both ethereal and entirely grounded. When she sings of mending broken places with gold, it feels like a genuine invitation to embrace our scars rather than hide them.
The single is the first taste of giddy’s upcoming record, ‘songs for awkward spaces’, and if this single is any indication, we are in for a collection that fearlessly explores the "friction points" of long-term devotion.
giddy’s transition from bedroom poet to festival performer is evident in the confidence of her phrasing; she possesses that rare ability to make a two-and-a-half-minute song feel like an expansive, safe harbour. In an era of loud, frantic pop, ‘kintsugi’ is the quiet, glowing ember we’ve been waiting for.
You can stream giddy’s debut single above, and for more as she sets the stage for her debut record, follow her on Instagram.
